A new report from the United Nations World Food Programme establishes that food insecurity leads to higher levels of migration across borders, and also to armed conflict -- which further increases migration.
Food insecurity -- chronic disruptions to people's ability to feed themselves and their families -- obviously brings misery and ill-health to its victims. But it also has wider effects, which may not be so clearly linked with the root cause of disuptions to the food supply.
The World Food Programme's report At the Root of Exodus makes it clear that food insecurity leads directly to increased levels of migration across borders, and also to increased levels of armed conflict -- which in turn further increases the likelihood that populations will be driven to migrate. And completing the vicious circle, the hazardous process of migration itself increases food insecurity.
Launching the report, David Beasley, WFP Executive Director, said, 'By understanding the dynamics that compel people to move, we can better address what lies at the heart of forced migration and what must be done to end their suffering'.
Read the report here.
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Published Friday 5 May 2017
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
